FAANP: All About the Fellows of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners
The Fellows of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP) are involved in every area of AANP. Learn how they’re helping to progress NP practice and the NP role.
AANP Fellows are abstract reviewers, grant and scholarship reviewers, committee members, authors of journal articles, co-chairs, mentors, engaging speakers, powerful advocates, change agents and leaders at every level and in every state. What’s more, they’re NPs—and AANP members—just like you.
“The Fellows have made outstanding contributions to the role of the NP over time,” said Chair of the FAANP Executive Committee Janet DuBois, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FNAP. “They are very much leaders in the nursing profession, in their communities and among AANP members. In fact, a lot of the activities the Fellows do are not under the Fellows umbrella; they’re involved in every aspect of leadership within the association.”
To become a Fellow, applicants go through a rigorous nomination process to ensure they have worked to progress research, clinical practice, education and policy related to the NP role. Through the FAANP Mentorship Program, AANP members have access to an exclusive experience to learn and develop projects under the close guidance of a current Fellow—and mentorship is a continuous part of FAANP!
“By definition, DNPs or master’s-level programs go hand in hand with leadership, but we want to help others discover Fellows in their area and connect Fellows with AANP members on a personal basis,” said Dr. DuBois.
“We have many NPs ask how to become a Fellow, and we are always here to help them identify their strengths, find areas where work is needed and develop a timeframe of possible initiatives to help them grow. This mentorship goes on informally all the time, and it’s just one of the reasons we’re so excited about new initiatives the FAANP is developing going forward.”
FAANP Winter Meeting Recap
The Fellows came together for the annual Winter Meeting March 1–2 in Savannah for one-and-a-half days of exciting new initiatives and engaging presentations, including:
Expert Panels
These expert panels will be comprised of a rotating group of Fellows with expertise in a variety of fields. Panelists will work together to create toolkits, publish whitepapers, provide commentary, present findings or offer advice to leadership.
“We’ll be screening to make sure we have a good fit between the expertise of the individual NP panelists and what the panel is tasked to accomplish,” said Dr. DuBois. “Our vision is to enhance our thought leadership and be a sounding board for issues related to NP practice.”
PRAC Talks
PRAC Talks are based upon the four criteria to becoming a Fellow—policy, research, academia and clinical practice—and are akin to the popular TED Talks. Presented by a group of Fellows, these in-depth discussions are designed to showcase the Fellows and pass on critical information and knowledge about things that impact the health of our country.
“We started with two at the Winter Meeting: the U.S. Political Climate and The DNP by 2025: What are the Odds? These were very provocative and generated a good deal of debate around these hot topics,” said Dr. DuBois.
“We want to generate interest and commentary, and we want people to think about these topics and weigh in on them. We feel we can offer mentorship to a greater audience through these PRAC Talks and help AANP members become leaders within our organization.”
Presentations
The Friday night reception brought together many past chairs, who were available to answer questions, provide information and initiate discussions from participants.
“On Saturday, I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Loretta Ford, who co-created the NP role with Dr. Henry Silver. She continues to be an outstanding example of leadership, outside-the-box thinking and going above and beyond to improve the health of our nation,” said Dr. DuBois. “She was brilliant, provocative, insightful, funny and entertaining throughout the hour-and-a-half-long interview, and she was full of information about her lifelong pursuit of excellence in the nursing profession and her vision for future of the NP role.”
Dr. Barbara Resnick, winner of the 2018 Loretta C. Ford Award, also presented Sunday morning, offering a look at research, practice and the role of DNP- and PhD-prepared NPs.
Accomplishments
The Fellows celebrated many accomplishments from the past year, including:
- A successful Induction Ceremony and Reception at AANP’s national conference in Denver.
- A new Fellows application process, which was started in 2019, leading to the largest initial Fellows application pool with 103 final applicants.
- The implementation of a Past Chair’s Council to serve as an advisory group to FAANP.
- The development of an emeritus designation for longstanding members.
- A balanced budget, plus a $40,000 gift for induction activities.
Are You Ready to Become a Fellow?
The process to become a Fellow goes beyond submitting an application and obtaining references. It all starts with you making an impact on the NP role.
“We’re looking for those who do outstanding, exemplary work outside of their job description,” said Dr. DuBois. Current Fellows have created new practice models that went on to be disseminated and used in a broader scope. They are national speakers who have been published and invited to present around the country. They have made an impact on health policy by working with legislators at the state or federal level and have helped craft or pass policy.
“Even developing a creative idea, working on a smaller scale to perfect it and then disseminating it for further use is an important first step,” added Dr. DuBois. “If you look at what the Fellows have accomplished and the age of the average Fellow, these are generally NPs who’ve been practicing for 10 or 20 years. It’s part of the lifelong learning process and something aspirational to work toward.”